After Piggy's shocking death at Castle Rock, Ralph is at loose ends at what to do next; he wanders back down to the beach and eats fruit from the trees, but it proves a lonely comfort to the allure of roasted meat.

"Somewhere on the other side of this rocky wall there would be a dark circle, a glowing fire, and meat. They would be savoring food and the comfort of safety" (186).

Now that Ralph stands isolated from all the other boys, his thoughts keep returning to two primary issues: safety and food; in his mind, the two are inexorably linked, the very basic needs in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Ralph knows that Jack and the hunters are in a position to have and provide food; Jack's role as provider has ultimately secured him the most powerful role in the tribe because he can meet those boys' primal instincts for food and protection.

"'Here!' said Sam suddenly. 'Take this--'

Ralph felt a chunk of meat pushed against him and grabbed it" (190).

Sam's willingness to share his own food with Ralph suggests that the twins still feel friendship to him and to a certain extent, loyalty. Samneric both could guess the consequences of helping Ralph, and later in the chapter, Ralph hears one of the twins paying the price for his act of allegiance as Roger or possibly Jack tortures him.